Child slaves exploited at hundreds of cannabis farms across London

Large numbers of child slaves may be working on cannabis farms in London, experts warned on Monday, after new figures emerged showing the scale of cultivation of the illegal drug.

Police have found 314 illegal cannabis farms in the British capital since 2016, according to official data obtained by the London Evening Standard newspaper, the equivalent of one every two days.

Experts say children are being trafficked from Vietnam and other countries to work in these farms, which are often located in residential properties, and that the scale of the problem has been vastly underestimated.

“The high number of cannabis farms across London and trafficking of Vietnamese children to work in them is extremely worrying,” said Jakub Sobik, a spokesman for Anti-Slavery International.